Air Force Academy
Wing Open Championships
Six Repeat Champions Highlight Wing Open Finals
3/9/2016 12:00:00 AM | Boxing
March 9, 2016
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – With six Falcons successfully defending their titles, the Air Force boxing team wrapped up competition at the 2016 Wing Open Boxing Championships on Wednesday, March 9, with 12 hard-hitting bouts under the lights of Clune Arena. Junior Adam Sumait and senior Gytenis Borusas highlighted the list of returning champions, as the pair each claimed their third Wing Open titles.
Sumait, the two-time champion at 119 pounds, faced a strong challenger in senior Mateus Arcano, the winner of the last two 112-pound Wing Open titles. It was an evenly contested bout, before Sumait used his experience in that weight class to get Arcano into the corner and earn the unanimous decision from the judges.
Borusas, who won the 185-pound Wing Open title as a sophomore and the 175-pound title as a junior, returned to the 175-pound bracket for his senior season. The Falcons' team captain toed the line with classmate Chad Turney, the defending Wing Open champion at 185 pounds. The pair tested each other in the opening two rounds, before Borusas gained the upper hand and caused standing eight counts in consecutive series and forced the referee to call the bout with 20 seconds left in the third round.
The 175-pound contest was one of three men's bouts to end before the final bell. Junior Johnny Wells connected on several hard shots to force the referee to call his 156-pound bout with freshman Isaiah Honable in the second round, while senior Yohance Salimu, the defending Wing Open heavyweight champion, closed out the night with a referee-stopped victory over junior Justin Johnson in the third round.
Junior Pedro Barrientes, a 147-pound finalist during his freshman season, returned to the championship ring in that weight class this year, facing classmate Landon Tomcho, a 2015 finalist at 139 pounds. Evenly throughout the six-minute bout, the duo traded punches and who held the advantage. Barrientes ultimately recorded more scoring blows and earned the judges' unanimous decision.
At the conclusion of the event, Barrientes was voted as the night's Outstanding Boxer, becoming the second 147-pound boxer in as many years – and the 10th overall – to receive the Clune Award.
Senior Sean Richards, a 2015 finalist at 195 pounds, claimed his first Wing Open title after taking a unanimous decision over sophomore Den Tati-Mackaya. The pair traded a flurry of blows in the opening seconds, before Richards wore down the newcomer and forced him against the ropes, en route to the unanimous decision.
Two bouts featured first-time contenders in both corners. Freshman DaRon Fanniel defeated classmate Antonio Garza in the 132-pound contest, while sophomore Naji Bseiso earned a unanimous decision over freshman Noah Eppinger in the 165-pound bout.
In addition to the eight bouts contested in the ring, sophomore Osama Farqaleet earned the 125-pound title by walkover.
On the women's side, senior Kassie Prusko defended her 112-pound title, as she forced the referee to stop her bout with freshman Mai-Lin Quinto just 1:05 into the opening round. Junior Heather Parcasio earned her second Wing Open title in as many years after decisioning freshman Alexandra Reveles at 125 pounds and sophomore Aubrey Lowe captured her second straight title with a unanimous decision over classmate Yelizaveta Patenko in the 139-pound contest. Senior Sarenna Ortiz, a Wing Open finalist in 2015, earned her first championship after earning a unanimous decision over freshman Josie Epps at 147 pounds.
The winners from tonight's championships will form the nucleus of the Air Force squad that will represent the Academy at the regional and national tournaments later this year. The Falcons return to action on March 24-26, when they travel to Reno, Nev., for the National Collegiate Boxing Association Western Regional Championships.
RESULTS
112-lbs.: Kassie Prusko rsc-1 Mai-Lin Quinto
119-lbs.: Adam Sumait dec. Mateus Arcano
125-lbs.: Heather Parcasio dec. Alexandra Reveles
125-lbs.: Osama Farqaleet
132-lbs.: DaRon Fanniel dec. Antonio Garza
139-lbs.: Aubrey Lowe dec. Yelizaveta Patenko
147-lbs.: Sarenna Ortiz dec Josie Epps
147-lbs.: Pedro Barrientes dec Landon Tomcho
156-lbs.: Johnny Wells rsc-2 Isaiah Honable
165-lbs.: Naji Bseiso dec. Noah Eppinger
175-lbs.: Gytenis Borusas rsc-3 Chad Turney
195-lbs.: Sean Richards dec. Den Tati-Mackaya
Hywt.: Yohance Salimu rsc-3 Justin Johnson
Players Mentioned
